Message sent to sex offenders

Cops warn them to stay away from trick-or-treaters

Armed with red and yellow tags, police fanned out through Elgin and other communities Monday to check on hundreds of registered sex offenders, warning many not to hand out Halloween candy to kids.

Sex offenders who weren't home may have found one of the tags hanging on their doors as a calling card--and as a hard-to-miss notice for trick-or-treaters to stay away.

In Elgin, police visited the homes of about 120 registered sex offenders, and officers from departments in suburban Cook County were expected to visit as many as 1,000 homes and apartments.

It appeared to be the first time the checks were conducted on such a broad scale, officials said. State law requires convicted sex offenders to register with authorities once a year.

"We went out and talked with all the law-enforcement agencies in Cook County, and more than 100 agreed to do the checks," said Penny Mateck, a spokeswoman for Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan.

In addition to verifying the addresses of registered sex offenders, police used the visits to inform them of a new state law prohibiting convicted sex offenders on parole or probation from passing out Halloween candy to children.

But some people questioned whether that was effective.

"If there are people who are dangerous, they ought to be incarcerated and treated," said Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago.

He worried that police were overreacting and that their measures might stigmatize people who are not necessarily a threat to children.

"We all want to be safe, but we need to figure out who is a threat and who isn't," Yohnka said. "We don't seem to be willing to do that."

The new law, which took effect in July, also prohibits sex offenders on probation or parole from dressing as Santa Claus at Christmas or the Easter Bunny at Easter.

The law does not apply to all registered sex offenders, only those under supervision as a condition of their release.

Mt. Prospect Police Officer Dirk Ollech said police who visited sex offenders also asked them to sign an affidavit in which they agreed not to answer the door for trick-or-treaters.

About 15 police officers in Elgin visited the homes of registered sex offenders, said Lt. Cecil Smith. The goal was to have all checks made by 2 p.m., before schools were out and before trick-or-treating started.

If registered sex offenders weren't at home, Elgin police hung red tags on their doors, notifying offenders of the visit and asking them to check with police.

Elgin police said they hoped the red tags would be a warning to trick-or-treaters and their parents that a registered sex offender lived on the premises.

"They know what the law is, and they deal with the consequences of that," Smith said.

This was the third year Elgin police conducted the Halloween premise checks.

Most of the sex offenders were home Monday. "They know we are coming, so they are making sure they are at home," Smith said.

Sheriff's police visited the residences of about 65 registered sex offenders in unincorporated Cook County and about 30 homes in south suburban Robbins, Mateck said.

If no one was at home, sheriff's police left yellow tags.

"Our message to them this Halloween is clear: Keep your doors closed and stay away from kids, or you're going to end up in jail," Sheahan said in a statement.

In Chicago, police had asked residents to call them if they saw sex offenders handing out candy.

About 20,000 registered sex offenders live in Illinois. At any given time, about 5,000 are on probation or parole, officials said.

Several Elgin residents expressed surprise Monday when told that a registered sex offender lived a couple of blocks from their homes.

Jay Vargas of the 700 block of Oak Street said residents need to be better informed.

"People should know who lives around them," said Vargas, who was outside with his 2-year-old son Tyler before trick-or-treating Monday. "There's so much stuff going on."